This week I'm working on the Asymmetric Seated sequence from Srivatsa Ramaswami's Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga. The plan has been to spend a week on each of the book's sequences to improve familiarity, such that I don't need to keep referring to the book during practice. This is the last week, from Sunday I'll start alternating the sequences throughout the week, interested to see how that works out.
Monday - Visesha Vinyasa Kramas
Tuesday - Asymmetric
Wednesday - Bow/Vajrasana
Thursday - Seated
Friday - Ashtanga
Saturday - Lotus
Sunday - Supine/Inverted
I plan the week like this around the Asymmetric and Supine sequences which, being long sequences, are best saved for my days off (Tuesday and Sunday). I want to do the Seated sequence with all it's deep forward bends the day after the Bow/vajrasana sequences and their backbends. I've always tended to practice Ashtanga on Friday, whatever else I was doing, so decided to keep it up, nice to have a flowing practice once a week at least. That leaves Saturday for Lotus.
The standing sequences , On your feet (built around Tadasana), Triangle and On one leg, get practiced throughout the week as warm up poses. Similar to the Ashtanga standing sequence but mixed about a little depending on the sequence I'll be doing.
Ramaswami recommends practicing the sequences in this way to gain familiarity with the asanas and, I guess, their groupings. Once you have a better idea of the range of asanas your better able to develop an appropriate practice. I'm looking forward to finding out more about this in the summer. I know he has a handful of key asanas that he recommends practicing every day. I assumed that you would practice those and then fit the other asanas around this framework in a similar way to how the Ashtanga series are formed. However, in one of his other books he seems to suggest that Krishnamacharya would have him practice the same kind of asanas within a lesson. I'm guessing one day the key asanas plus some Bow sequence subroutines another day the keys asanas and some inverted subroutines.
As you can see I'm still working all this out so don't take anything here as authoritative.
Which brings me to the video.
I tried to Video my Asymmetric sequence this morning. It's a long and complicated sequence that I've tended to save for my day off. There are around 40 asanas in the sequence but you have to multiply that by two as you have to do both sides. Each side takes thirty to forty-five minutes so that's an hour and a half plus the the Sury's, some Standing postures and finishing. The whole thing takes me a little over two hours.
Don't take the video as gospel, I'm still getting familiar with the sequence and there are a couple of times when I miss something out, add something in (Marichiyasana D for example, old habits die hard) mix up the order and get a couple of poses completely wrong (looking over the wrong shoulder in Bharadwajasana for example). I've tried to edit the video a little, switch a couple of bits around, oh and cut out the bit where forget where I am and I jump back from Chakorasana. When I get around to it, I'll annotate the Youtube video with the asana names. But here is a list of the Subroutines in the order they come up.
Asymmetric Seated Vinyasa Sequence
Lead sequence
Dandasana
Marichyasana
Mahamudra
Ardhapadmasana
Akarnadhanurasana
Ekapadasirsasana
Triyangmukha
Hybrid Asymmetric Vinyasas
Marichyasana(advanced)
Bharadwajasana
Mahabandha
Matyendrasana
Although it might look complicated, the format tends to be pretty much the same in each of the subroutines. A stretch followed by forward bends, perhaps a twisting variation and then a counter pose
Remember, this is speeded up x4. In real time it's 36:41 (should you want to slow it back down).
3 comments:
I'm just curious, and maybe you have addressed this before, but what is it that draws you to this type of practice, and what do you prefer about it over Ashtanga? It looks quite different in a way. Thanks!
Tara
Hi Tara, been mulling over this off and on all day.
Difficult to answer it without comparing it to Ashtanga and the comparison suggesting criticism, I don't really want to go there, people take their practice personally and often become defensive and offended. Because I used to practice Ashtanga and now practice predominantly VK it can become interpreted as a rejection of one for the other. However, I don't think rejection necessarily equates with criticism. Ashtanga suited me in the beginning, VK seems to suit me now. As it happens I consider Ashtanga to be a Vinyasa Krama practice anyway and that there are more similarities than differences.
I wish I could remember why i tried Vinyasa Krama in the first place. I think it was curiosity but it made an immediate and profound effect on me. I felt more grounded in the practice somehow.
Sometimes I think of it in jazz terms Ashtanga plays a little head of the beat VK behind. There's a forward driving motion to Ashtanga plus your trying to keep the heat up. VK, more laid back, lingering on the notes and the space between the notes. That became interesting to me.
Ashtanga, to me at least, appears as a fixed system and you seem required to fit/adapt yourself to that system, let alone the tradition. VK is almost the polar opposite, you adapt the practice to the individual. That gives you enormous freedom to explore. Exploration and adaption are built into the system within a few basic parameters. Being less well known is a bit of a bonus, harder to offend anyone : )
I like how the asana practice goes hand in hand with pranayama... from the beginning. And how in Ramaswami's books the other elements of Yoga are on an equal footing with asana if not more significant. I find with VK I'm more able to downplay the asana where in Ashtanga, with my temperment, the asana can tend to take over. Obsessing about Kapo or karanda, the next pose...backbends. In VK I let alignment take care of itself, it'll improve a little day by day, I'm more interested in the breath in the bandhas. I don't care so much if the pose looks beautiful or the jump through elegant and floaty the postures have become tools to be used rather than an end in themselves.
I don't know, I'm still working it out and am very curious about this question myself.
I could have stuck with 'Ashtanga suited me in the beginning, VK suits me now.
Thanks Grimmly! Thanks for the response. It's hard to imagine not doing Ashtanga, but sometimes I think about finding something a little less demanding. And I've tried giving up Ashtanga for running--but I always come back. But it sounds like from reading your more recent posts that you might throw some Ashtanga back into the mix. I watched the clips, and there are still some great poses in the VK sequence. Love your blog--it's interesting, and I love the self practice component of it. Thanks!
Tara
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